Dr. Lisa Saul on how she stays encouraged to fight to end the Black maternal health crisis 

Dr. Lisa Saul opens up about how she stays motivated, life-saving doula care, and more during Black Maternal Health Week. 

Despite the downward turn reproductive rights have taken in this country stemming from the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, and the sheer fact that after a decade of advocacy, the Black Maternal Health crisis hasn’t meaningfully improved, Dr. Lisa Saul, chief medical officer of women’s health for United Healthcare, is still encouraged. 

The veteran neonatologist opened up to theGrio during Black Maternal Health Week about what keeps her motivated, even as we reckon with the reality that Black women are still over three times more likely than their white counterparts to die during childbirth or from related causes. 

Before moving into her current leadership role, Saul spent years as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and led major maternity care initiatives in Minneapolis, an experience that now informs her work shaping policy, access, and outcomes for women nationwide.

While there is still much work to do, there have been some groundbreaking cultural shifts, including the growing understanding of just how life-saving it can be, especially for Black women, to work with a doula during pregnancy and labor. 

“Many pregnant people, especially in this day and age, go through pregnancy feeling under-supported or unsupported. Oftentimes, they are separated from their families and rely on their spouse or their partner to provide all the support that they need through the pregnancy,” Saul said. 

“For most people, when they think of doulas, they think of someone that is solely assisting at the time of labor and delivery,” she continued, adding, “But doulas provide a tremendous amount of support throughout the entire pregnancy journey. They provide another set of eyes and ears, but most importantly, they allow our members to feel seen and heard when they have questions, fears, or insecurities that are part of any pregnancy.”

As the 10th Black Maternal Health Week comes to a close, Dr. Saul shared further insights on where things stand from her perspective and what needs to be done to end these disparities once and for all. 

After ten years of Black Maternal Health Week, we’re still seeing such stark disparities in outcomes for Black women. When you look at the data today, what feels most urgent or unresolved to you?

What feels most urgent is that too many Black women are still experiencing preventable complications. These disparities persist even among Black women who are insured, educated, and engaged with the health system. That tells us the issue is not only access to care, but the cumulative effects of weathering and unconscious bias. Pregnancy places intense demands on the body, and many enter it already physiologically depleted.

At the same time, there has been more awareness and investment over the past decade. What progress have you seen, and where are we starting to see real impact?

We have made real advances in obstetric care, including better protocols for hemorrhage, hypertension, and sepsis. We are also seeing growing recognition of the value of continuous, nonclinical support, such as doulas, in helping people feel informed and supported throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. 

To see lasting change, we need to address the long‑standing conditions that shape health well before someone ever enters labor and delivery.

There’s a growing understanding that maternal health doesn’t start or end with pregnancy. How should we be thinking differently about care before and after childbirth, especially for Black women?

Maternal health has to be understood through a whole‑person lens that reflects what the body carries into pregnancy and what support exists afterward. Pregnancy can surface vulnerabilities that have been building for years, tied to mental health, chronic conditions, and cumulative stress.  

You’ve spent years working in this space. Even as progress can feel slow, what keeps you motivated to continue pushing for change?

Knowing that improvement is possible and that preventable harm can be reduced makes the work worth continuing.